Fayetteville, NC � Cumberland Community Foundation announced scholarship awards to students at its annual scholarship awards presentation on May 25, 2017 at 4 p.m. Students, family, scholarship committee volunteers, and donors attended the event which was held at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.
Ninety-three of the awards, totaling $179,400, are selected by the Cumberland Community Foundation Scholarship Advisory Group, volunteer committees made of retired educators and community volunteers. These awards range from $500 to $10,000 per student. Most awards are based on financial need, academic excellence, and citizenship. A few are based on a special skill or interest area, such as soccer, chemistry, fire science, or elementary education.
Five new scholarships are being awarded for the first time this year. They are:
Cape Fear River Assembly Scholarship � Created by the Cape Fear River Assembly for students enrolled in college in the Cape Fear River Basin who will study environmental science, natural science, biology, or related fields;
Devasthali Family Scholarship for Health Care Professionals - Created by Dr. Shirish and Seema Devasthali to open doors for students who dream of becoming health care professionals;
Manning Family Scholarship - Created by the family of O. Raymond Manning, Sr. to provide opportunities for nontraditional students who could not attend college right out of high school and wish to get back on track with their education and life opportunities;
Pay It Forward Scholarship - Created by an anonymous donor to allow young people to be educated and thrive and become self-sufficient in our society;
and
Robert N. Shuller/SfL+a Architects Scholarship - Created in honor of Robert N. "Bob" Shuller by his partners and colleagues of SfL+a Architects, for the purpose of supporting deserving students in the study of architecture and related fields.
Every year, the community foundation�s scholarship applications are available online in February, due in late March, and announced in May each year at the Scholarship Awards Reception. A list of all recipients for the 2017/2018 academic year is available on the website: http://www.cumberlandcf.org/scholarships-2/recipients/.
In addition to the $179,400 in individual scholarships awarded, Cumberland Community Foundation also awards an additional $500,000 in scholarships annually through the Robert H. Short/Cumberland Community Foundation Scholars Program. For the last five years, these scholarships were reserved for Cumberland County high schools graduates who attended Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville State University, or Methodist University. Selection was handled by those colleges with emphasis on filling the gaps in funding for each student based on their unique financial needs. Awards ranged from $300 to $12,000 per year. In the last five years, this program has awarded $2,377,000 to the three local colleges.
Established in 1980, Cumberland Community Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation that accepts donations and administers endowments for the benefit of the community. The foundation manages over 500 individual charitable funds totaling over $76 million. The community foundation awards grants annually from these funds according to the charitable purpose designed by the donors. Donors may create and design their own scholarship endowment with gifts of $25,000 or more, either during the donor�s life or through a gift in the donor�s will. For more information go to www.cumberlandcf.org or call the community foundation 910-483-4449.